1. Field of the Invention
Since man figured out that he could make optimum use of limited space by building vertically, others have perceived the potential danger to the occupants of such structures above ground level. The burning question is: how do occupants get to ground safely?
Since the tragedy of 9/11, the problem has been moved to the forefront in the minds of everyone who lives and/or works, or whose friends and loved ones live and/or work in a high rise structure. Elevators may or may not work and, depending on the nature of the pending disaster, may be dangerous if used. Fire escapes have limited value and in some instances, no value, particularly if the structure is more than two or three floors. The venerable ladder may have some use below a third floor, making it of some benefit below a third floor and in residential environments, but rather of no use in any other situations, and one can not reasonably anticipate a fireman's net to be at his or her beck and call, and, even then, there is an inherent reluctance to trust and jump.
2. Overview of the Prior Art
As early as 1902, Briner, in his U.S. Pat. No. 696,711, perceived an element of danger and reluctance to use the steps outside the wall of a structure as a fire escape and came up with the idea of a long pipe with a weight riding inside. A hand grip on the outside allowed a human to hang on to the grip and ride it down as the weight came up.
Briner, perhaps, thought his device was an improvement on Robbins U.S. Pat. No. 598,294. Robbins used a carriage 24 and employed hydraulics in the tube to assist in the lowering process. It was not.
In 1914, McCoy proposed a modified form of the traditional fireman's pole which one could slide down to safety. A year later Boulieu and Brady patented a pair of baskets, one of which would go up as the other goes down. Cables next to the baskets permitted occupants to mechanically grip the cable to slow down the descent. Murphy in his U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,193, proposes making the pole telescoping, thereby making the device smaller and portable.
In more current times, Fontenot in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,832 combines several features of the prior art to provide a pole with a platform which, when not in use, lies back in a horizontal attitude. Finally, Yerman, in his U.S. Pat. No. 6,955,244, issued in 2005, proposes a chair which rides down the side of a structure and is controlled by the person in the chair.
Also considered, but not described, are several patents relating to scaffolding and devices for raising and lowering construction materials and workers.